New episode is here, this time chatting with the writer, director of OPERATION SEAWOLF, Steven Luke! We also chat WAR PIGS and COME OUT FIGHTING! Enjoy!
Just saw that Frank Grillo is co-starring alongside none other that the great Juliette Binoche and Morgan Freeman in the upcoming PARADISE HIGHWAY (which deals with human trafficking)...
(Binoche is one of the actresses my 14-18 year-old self would have loved to see Lundgren co-star with, as I was a fan of hers since Kieslowski's THREE COLORS: BLUE and she had/has the kind of gravitas that Dolph needed from a "female" co-star.)
Conceptually Paradise Highway looks like a very generic DTV movie. The kind Grillo has been doing the rounds in recently. But it certainly looks way above that level (potentially) thanks to the presence of Binoche (I also think she is amazing). It's really, REALLY odd to see her in something I'd half expect our old buddy Gianni C to pop up in, but I'm assuming she's there because the script stood out and the director has talent. She doesn't strike me as someone to do a quick paycheck gig. The photography looks like it has care and attention. We'll see. I feel like it smells like an Emmett and Furla cheesecake, but might taste of something far better.
That doesn't look too bad. The visual effects look like they've had more care than a lot of similar films around this budget level. There could be a bit of spectacle. Not sure how well it bodes for Dolph's performance that he's seen asleep in the trailer (I jest, he seems engaged in it and at least in it enough that they've been able to fit a trailer to suggest he's the lead). And Grillo appears to be pulling a one-room gig here. But that's the business now, and Grillo in a room is better than no Grillo.
I do quite like the occasional war epic, so this is more interesting to me than just more revenge or hitman movies for example. I guess we'll see.
WAR PIGS, which was historically was a kind of a WWII aficionado fantasy, had some good things for it and is in my opinion one of the best DL titles that came out in the past 11 years...
My main issue with War Pigs was a lack of spectacle. Nothing much happened in it, but otherwise it was well made and the cast were decent. This appears to have more scenes of spectacle that you kind of need in these kind of films, unless you have really compelling drama.
This feels relatively fresh for Dolph. Bit of a different look/character and some interesting locations we haven't really seen him in much before. Visual FX look good for something of this budget. Obviously it is a drama with some war action involving ships - no shootouts or fistfights. Keen to see how it turns out. At least it looks like a step up from things like Hard Night Falling.
Need confirmation from the DP but based on the German trailer and looking back at some of the BTS photos from the playback monitor, it looks like another one that was framed for 2.39:1 scope ratio and yet released in 1.78:1...
Posted: 03 Jun 2022, 23:12
